“That one too,” he admits.
Dammit.It’ll take up valuable time to install each of those again, adding to an already full workload for tomorrow.
“Do you know how much work it’s gonna be to fix those?”
It’s more of a rhetorical question, I don’t actually expect an answer, but the kid gives me one anyway.
“With the right tools, probably a couple of hours each.”
I regard him with a lifted eyebrow.“And you would know what the right tools are?”
This time he shrugs.“It’s not that hard.”
There’s something about his casual arrogance that reminds me of myself, thirty years ago.I decide to call his bluff.
“Well, in that case, I want your ass back here tomorrow morning at eight on the dot, and you can put your money where your mouth is.”
Now he looks shocked.
“You mean, I can go?”
I wag a finger in his face.“But if you’re not here at eight, I will personally walk over to the sheriff’s station and file charges.Right after I have a nice long talk with your mother,” I threaten.
As I watch the kid take off on his red sneakers, I realize this may not have been the wisest move on my part.But the boy doesn’t strike me as a hardcore criminal.If I’d venture a guess, he’s—at worst—a misguided kid who is heading down the wrong path.I was that kid once, before my dad put me to work in the shop.
Who knows, maybe a little redirection of that energy, and some honing of what appears to be a passing interest in cars, will set the boy on the straight and narrow.
I’m just not sure how his mother will respond when she finds out.
I don’t think she likes me much.
Chapter2
Tessa
My next investmentis going to be a good pair of rubber boots.
I look down at what remains of the three-hundred-dollar Italian leather riding boots I gave myself for my birthday when I turned forty-five last December.An extravagant gift, but I felt I deserved it after the year I’d had.Sadly, they’re no more than clumps of caked mud now.
Serves me right for thinking they’d be appropriate footwear for traipsing around the woods after an overnight deluge.
By the time I got up here, it had stopped raining, but the conditions were dismal.Thank goodness for the four-wheel drive and the high clearance on my Jeep Grand Cherokee, otherwise I’d surely have gotten stuck halfway up the mountain.
I’m not quite sure what I hoped to accomplish up here anyway.We already thoroughly searched the immediate area where the Mustang was found for any evidence or signs of a body, but came up empty.
Last night was the first time in a long time I did something fun for myself—no work, no kids, having a few drinks and laughing lots with Brenda—but this morning, when I woke up at four, the full weight of the investigation landed back on my shoulders.So I got dressed, left a note for the boys who were still sleeping, and came up here in a last-ditch effort to find something tangible; a fresh lead for me to follow.
The report we got back from the state police forensics lab earlier in the week did not provide a lot of new information.They’d been able to lift one good palm print from the inside of the passenger side door of the Mustang, but there was no hit when they ran it through AFIS.The one bit of new information I gleaned from the report was that the blood belonged to a male.
None of it actually moved my investigation forward, which is why I decided to go back to the beginning.I should’ve picked a better day for it, and maybe worn some better footwear.
Using a nearby tree trunk to hold on to, I pull my foot free from the suction of the mud so I can continue my wild-goose chase.My plan had been to venture out a little farther and make my way to the canyon that runs almost parallel to the logging road.I’d noticed it looking at Google Satellite images of the area.
I could see someone tossing a body over the edge to get rid of it.I’m not saying that’s what happened, but the possibility was enough for me to want to go check it out.
It’s wet and miserable, and I’m chilled to the bone, but despite second-guessing myself every two seconds, I trudge on.Every so often I stop to listen, thinking I hear something rustling, but it’s just residual water from the tree canopy dripping down.
Perhaps I should’ve asked one of the deputies to come with me.The extra set of eyes and ears would have been nice.As would the company, it feels pretty lonely out here.I try not to think of any wildlife I might encounter, but vow to add bear spray to the rubber boots on my list.
